Wrap-Up: Fitness & Lifestyle Photography on location in Marina del Rey with model Ellen Decker

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In Los Angeles on a visit from Miami, Ellen reached out to me and asked if I were interested in photographing her while she was in town. She had seen my work on Instagram and knew that I had shot for other signed models at Sports+Lifestyle Unlimited. She wanted to add fitness looks to her portfolio, which at the time primarily consisted of swimwear and fashion imagery.

We set up a session in the late afternoon in Marina del Rey–a favorite place and time of mine to shoot in. This particular location had an open sandy area as well as a strand in front of cool textured walls and modern home facades. I brought a 10lb slam ball for her to interact with which paired nicely with a black-painted fence and her leggings.

We moved down the strand and captured more dynamic shots–her running and bounding, etc. One architectural feature I had scouted prior worked marvelously as a conceptual backdrop. I posed Ellen in front of it with her turned 45 degrees to camera. She was to start in a sprinter’s position and explode out of the blocks, so-to-speak. Once her body had opened up out of the crouched position, it lined up perfectly with the geometric metalwork behind her. To me, the metalwork metaphorically represented gears and moving parts, which symbolized Ellen’s body in motion. It produced one of my favorite images of the day.  


“Photos are great Tyler. Thank you for being so quick on these!”

Ellen Decker

A sampling of the images can be seen below. If you’re interested in commissioning my services and want to learn more, contact me.


Session Details:

  • Time: Late Afternoon
  • Duration: 2hrs
  • Location: Marina del Rey
  • Camera: Canon 5D MkII
  • Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM
  • Speedlight: Flashpoint ZOOM Li-On R2

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